Wednesday, 24 June 2009

• In Pittsburgh, Homesick for Hong Kong

  
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  Today, as I was sitting at the bus stop, the combination of the hot weather and the rushing by of cars suddenly made me think of Hong Kong. I remembered vividly the sights and sounds of standing at a busy intersection. In my ears thundered the frenzied clacking of the crosswalk lights telling blind people, "Hurry up! Now's your chance! Cross the street!"
  
  Then, the stoplight would turn yellow, and the crosswalk light would get more lethargic, clacking only a couple times every second, causing people to race across the street. As the light turned green, the crosswalk would turn red, clicking sternly at a slow pace, admonishing the walkers who wished to cross. For an insanely brief moment, everything would be still as pedestrians and cars alike stayed paused. Then the rush of the cars would start up again, bright red taxis weaving in and out of traffic as double decker buses farted placidly by. All around me, old people rocked back and forth on their feet, guardians held on to children's hands, and businesspeople in suits stared at the lights, all of them waiting for the crosswalk light to start its stream of constant clacking again.
  
  I saw and heard all this in my mind in the space of five seconds. I blinked and looked up, and once again I was alone on the side of an impersonal highway in the north side of Pittsburgh.
  

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